‘I thought I was going to die,’ Good Samaritan loses leg after trying to aid crash victim

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - On the night of Sept. 21, Brian Gatdula was heading home from his job as a TheHandi-Van driver, when he witnessed a crash on the H-1 freeway near Pearl City.

The 35-year-old stopped to help, but then he and three others, were struck by another car.

Two of those who were hit were seriously hurt.

Gatdula could not feel his right leg.

“I thought I was going to die,” Gatdula recalled. “I was just panicking and screaming for help.”

Gatdula, who already had limited mobility in his right arm since birth, ended up losing his right leg.

Now, Gatdula fears he will need to give up his job as a driver.

“I know my place is a driver, that’s all I know,” Gatdula shared. “From the situation now, I don’t think I could ever be able to drive and serve.”

Gatdula’s sister, Kristie Agnacin, has been visiting him in the hospital for the past two weeks and set up a GoFundMe page to help cover his medical expenses.

“I just want him to get better. I want him to know that, we’re still blessed because you’re still with us, you’re still here,” Agnacin said.

The crash came after Gatdula recently lost his father, and an uncle.

Despite the season of suffering he’s experiencing, he appears to still have resilience.

“I don’t want anybody to pity, give me pity,” Gatdula added. “There’s times I regret doing what I did.”

The 24-year-old driver who struck Gatdula did not need treatment and remained at the scene.

It is unclear whether speed, drugs, or alcohol were factors in the collision and the investigation is ongoing.